“Come here!”
At my call, Wip timidly approached the computer, where the broadcast setup was completed.
Now that I looked, his pretty face was heavily stiffened.
“Are you nervous?”
“Yes. It’s more nerve-wracking than I expected.”
“You were so relaxed when we filmed the Void Exploration video for iTube last time, why are you like this now?”
“Because that wasn’t live.”
Wip’s ears, which had drooped earlier, slowly began to fall.
“Back then it was a recorded video, so I could just act as usual, but with a live broadcast, over ten thousand viewers are watching in real-time.”
“Well, I suppose there is that difference.”
“Did the Archbishop also feel nervous at first?”
“Of course.”
In fact, he had done it calmly, but I decided not to mention that. Sticking to facts isn’t exactly a healthy way to converse.
“Okay, let’s get started. Please sit down.”
“Yes.”
Nodding, Wip took a seat next to me, and his ears, which had drooped earlier, were now perked up.
I gave Wip’s shoulder a light pat and changed the broadcast title.
[The First Returnee Whispering Leaf Interview]
Today, since viewers would gather on their own, I avoided using any extreme or provocative language.
“Sis, you can start now.”
Following the signal from Manager Seo-yoon, we started the broadcast.
However, I didn’t immediately switch on the camera. It would drive them crazy with curiosity.
Soon, the viewer count began to rise rapidly.
As a result, the chat window also started scrolling quickly upwards.
– Your Holiness.
– Ooh.
– The first Returnee??
– Something big is coming.
– Wow.
Everyone was already full of excitement.
Surely, there must be some reporters mixed in among them.
They would be taking notes of everything I said to write articles. It was obvious without having to look.
“Wip, please be as careful with your words as possible. Let’s avoid being caught on trivial matters.”
“Understood.”
These days, whenever a sensational event occurs, everyone rushes in like a pack of hyenas or piranhas.
So, particularly in a situation where the public’s attention is gathered, we had to be extra careful.
To avoid being attacked, every time Wip spoke, he needed to check the content himself. Or he could just limit his words.
“Then, let’s turn on the camera.”
“Yes, I’m ready.”
Wip nodded with a serious face.
Though he didn’t look entirely prepared, I switched to the broadcast screen as planned.
A handsome Dark Elf stiffening would probably please the viewers.
“Greetings. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
I greeted lightly as usual, bowing gracefully.
To be honest, I wanted to keep it relaxed, but since Kelaout was watching from the side, I couldn’t afford to show a more casual side.
The presence of the Archbishop, who acted as a restraint to maintain the Pope’s dignity.
Though I felt burdened, I was grateful to Kelaout for providing me with that tense atmosphere. It wasn’t easy for me to uphold my dignity as Pope alone.
Ding.
Just as I was trying to greet in as calm and beautiful a manner as possible, sponsorship popped up.
The sponsor had a nickname that was beginning to feel a little boring.
[“I Want to Get a Job” gave 1,000 won!]
– Who is that person next to you? Is he your new boyfriend?
“…‘I Want to Get a Job’, why are you doing this to me?”
Why does he keep sending such malicious sponsorships?
He was my first viewer and the church’s first priest, so I was letting it slide, but I was starting to get heated.
Yet, I wasn’t as seriously angry as when the Burning Association pulled their stunts.
I just wanted to show a bit of a sharp edge.
“It seems I need to take special measures.”
I signaled to the stern Archbishop standing outside the screen.
Immediately, Kelaout, who caught on to my intention, approached and looked directly into the camera.
“‘I Want to Get a Job’. Please be sure to attend the next class.”
That was an invitation that sent chills down the spine just to hear.
“I’ll be sending a lecture invitation to the viewer who engages in inappropriate chatting through Liam. Please maintain proper chat etiquette.”
With that remark, Kelaout squinted his left eye at me and slightly bowed his head before returning to his original position.
It felt reassuring to have someone supporting me instead of me being on the receiving end.
“Did you all hear that?”
With the Archbishop’s support, I decided to warn the mischievous viewers in this instance.
“Everyone, go ahead and move your fingers around freely. If you wish to experience the Archbishop’s class directly, that is. By the way, you won’t have breaks in between, and sleeping won’t be allowed.”
The devastating power of Kelaout’s class had already been well known after the last broadcast.
It was practically a class with hypnotic qualities.
Sitting there without a chance to step out and dozing off would likely drive anyone mad from boredom.
Was that why?
The rowdy chat room suddenly calmed down.
– Who is chatting badly on here?
– Chatting should always be done properly.
– Your Holiness, you look even younger today.
– Stop being so beautifulㅠㅠㅠㅠ
…But it felt too forced.
Plus, it seemed oddly sarcastic, which made me feel even worse.
“Please just do it as you normally would.”
As I begged in disgust, the viewers, with their rebellious spirit stirred, continued to chat with forced politeness for a while.
If I kept engaging with them, it would only tire me out.
So, I lightly ignored them and pointed at Wip.
“Everyone, stop and focus. We’ve brought him here with great difficulty.”
With the mention that it took a lot of effort to bring Wip, I heightened the mystery he had as a Returnee and gestured.
“Wip, please give the viewers a brief self-introduction.”
“Yes.”
As the broadcast started, perhaps he felt a bit more at ease, Wip greeted with a more stable look than earlier.
“Hello. I am Dark Elf Whispering Leaf. Nice to meet you all.”
The sight of a dainty Dark Elf with a somewhat decadent appearance politely greeting was still a bit out of place.
If it felt that way to me, what must the viewers think?
– He looks kind of nice.
– What’s that voice…
– Wow.
– He should really show his worth for his looks, haha.
– He looks sweeter than the Pope, doesn’t he?
“What do you mean I look sweeter than the Pope? What does that even mean?”
It’s true in terms of personality, but that was a comment I didn’t want to acknowledge when it came to appearance.
[The Pope Who Stole My Daughter’s Candy’s 1,000 won!]
– Is that the Dark Elf who appeared last time?
“That nickname, ‘The Pope Who Stole My Daughter’s Candy,’ what is that? Anyway, yes. He is the one who climbed the Tower of Hell. He was also featured as a guide in the iTube’s Void Exploration video.”
Wip had accidentally appeared on live broadcasts and iTube videos.
However, he had never been introduced formally, so I decided to properly imprint his identity to the viewers this time.
“As you saw last time, Wip is a summoner who deals with a monster called the Council Beast. At that time, he tried to capture me under orders, but now he is a member of our Order.”
And soon, there were plans to appoint him as a high Holy Knight.
[NukNukCheokCheok’s 1,000 won!]
– What on earth happened that he suddenly became a member…
Starting with a viewer questioning that puzzling detail, many sponsorship messages began pouring in.
[PeppersNutty’s 1,000 won!]
– Do you plan to invite other Returnees as guests?
[ColaCube’s 1,000 won!]
– Please tell us the story about the Great Demon.
[AnnoyingPill’s 1,000 won!]
– Which demons did you team up with for the Demon World expedition?
“You had a lot of questions, huh? Please wait. I will tell you all one by one.”
Saying this, I glanced at the viewer count.
[Viewer count: 17,397]
It hadn’t even been ten minutes since the broadcast started, and already we were close to twenty thousand.
The last broadcast had recorded the all-time lowest viewership, so perhaps it was time to challenge for the highest?
It didn’t seem impossible. There were bigger incidents tangled this time than when I was first revealed as a Returnee.
‘For now, let’s try to stretch out the time as much as possible.’
The people gathered here wouldn’t be able to leave out of curiosity regarding my broadcast.
No matter how long the broadcast went on, they would steadfastly continue watching.
It was a kind of curiosity trap.
A strategy to stimulate their curiosity so they wouldn’t be able to escape.
I thought that if I slowed down the tempo and extended the broadcast, it would keep even more viewers hooked. It was a pretty plausible plan.
Strategizing a devious scheme to keep the viewers from leaving, I focused on managing my expression and spoke to Wip.
“According to what I know, Wip, you’re a reincarnated person, right?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. To be precise, I became a disposable villain from a web novel.”
Web novel.
I hadn’t seen one, but I had heard they were quite popular these days. Perhaps it was a popular work?
“What’s the title of the work?”
“…”
For some reason, Wip’s pupils started to shift slightly at my casually thrown question. He seemed troubled.
I simply asked for a title; why was he reacting this way?
I was puzzled, but I couldn’t let the atmosphere drag on, so I continued.
“Is it something that’s hard to talk about? Was it an adult novel?”
“That’s not it…”
“If you want to keep it a secret, I’ll let it go. There’s no need to unveil it.”
Trying not to pressure him, I asked, and after hesitating, Wip finally carefully revealed the title.
“It’s [There Are Too Many Dark Elves].”
It was a title that I couldn’t quite comprehend in my sense, a bit peculiar.
Yet, it did pique my interest.
Did it mean he disliked that there were too many Dark Elves? Or the opposite?
“I’ll have to read it later.”
As I was about to move on, suddenly a sponsorship voice with an infuriated tone flowed out.
[Vegetarian Heavenly Horse’s Flaming 10,000 won!]
– Don’t read it! The author had a fight with the readers and rushed the ending!
“Thank you, Vegetarian Heavenly Horse, for the 10,000 won. But what do you mean rushed the ending?”
I thought it was just a matter of finishing it quickly, but that wasn’t the case.
[Vegetarian Heavenly Horse’s Flaming 10,000 won!]
– Suddenly, the final boss, the Demon God, appeared and wiped out the protagonist and all his allies.
The sudden appearance of a Demon God and the slaughter of the protagonist’s party.
It sounded absurd just to think about it. It was the worst possible conclusion.
It seemed the author, feeling hurt, had intended to retaliate against the readers with a horrific ending.
“Once that author learns about Wip’s existence, he’ll be pretty surprised. A character he ended with his own hands has suddenly appeared in reality, right?”
Wip, who had directly visited the world of [There Are Too Many Dark Elves], would likely have a lot of resentment towards the author as a reader.
“Wip, please say something to the author.”
“…It’s me.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m the author.”
“……”
After an awkward silence lingered for a while, I forced a nonchalant expression and said.
“So you must be getting your punishment for that.”
That was the best attempt I could make to mend the atmosphere.
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Oh my god, my stomach hurts so much…. An author gets karma after arguing with his readers